Gunzilla called out, Netflix's surprise app store surge, and indie publishers rise up - Patch Notes #47
Like some sort of gangly, bushy-haired meerkat, I spent the week jostling around Manchester attempting to catch those first affirming glimmers of spring sunshine. A beer garden pint on a Wednesday evening? In April? In this economy?! You bet your life on it.
It's the little pleasures that get you through the week, sometimes—so don't forget to indulge on occasion.
Alright, I know you're mainly here for video game news and not sage wisdom from yours truly. Though, if you do want more of that let me know and I'll sort out a mailbag. I think I'd make a solid agony aunt.
It was, surprisingly, a pretty positive week by the game industry's impossibly low standards.
Barely a whiff of layoffs and the emergence of two indie publishing labels provided reasons to be cheerful, even if Gunzilla Games did its best to bring us crashing back down to earth after being accused by multiple former employees of failing to pay their wages.
There's always something, isn't there. Here's the lowdown:
Indonesia Game Rating System Heavily Criticized On Its Rolloutvia Niko Partners // The Indonesian government rolled out a new video game rating system that appeared rather confounding at first glance, resulting in Call of Duty being issued a 3+ rating despite the fact you can pepper people with bullets. Meanwhile, Story of Seasons was handed an 18+ sticker despite being about, well, peppering crops with water. The issue was eventually addressed after a few days, but understandably set alarm bells ringing.
Netflix launches 'Playground' video game app for childrenvia Game Developer // Netflix continues to tinker with its video game offering. This week, the company launched a new mobile app called Playground that's geared towards children. Playground grants access to a slate of video games aimed at kids aged 8 and younger—and notably, doesn't include advertisements or in-app purchases.
Netflixs virtual game controller app just topped the iOS U.S. app chartvia Game File // The Netflix Game Controller application briefly topped the iOS free app download chart in the United States, dethroning the likes of ChatGPT, Claude, and Temu. That's no mean feat when you consider the application launched back in 2023 (in a limited capacity) and is perhaps indicative of burgeoning interest in Netflix's slate of TV games. Theorize away!
Black Tabby Games slinks into game publishing with 1000xResist creator's next gamevia Game Developer // Slay the Princess developer Black Tabby Games is the latest indie developer to leap into the world of publishing with Black Tabby Publishing. The nascent label has already agreed to bring Prove You're Human, the next title from 1000xResist developer Sunset Visitor, to market.
Evil Landfall is the latest publishing label from an indie developervia GamesIndustry.biz // More good news? I must be dreaming. Peak co-developer Landfall also formally launched its own indie publishing label this week. Although the division—known as Evil Landfall because it'll handle all of those dastardly spreadsheets—is focused more on financing at the moment, it is prepared to sink up to $1 million into projects that pique its interest.
Off The Grid developer Gunzilla accused of failing to pay employeesvia Game Developer // A number of former employees have accused Gunzilla Games of failing to pay their wages during their time at the studio, which is currently working on battle royale shooter Off The Grid. As you might have heard, the company is also the owner of Game Informer and is currently dabbling in the world of NFTs and generative AI. Positive signs for all involved, I'm sure.
Gunzilla CEO Denies Claims Of Not Paying Staff, Rants About Haters, And Brags About Crunchvia Kotaku // Gunzilla CEO Vlad Korolev responded to those claims with an incredibly reasonable take. In a post on X, he suggested the allegations are actually a"narrative" being spun by "haters" and explained that wage payments might sometimes be "scheduled in a way that works for the company's cash flow" as opposed to individual workers. If expecting to be paid on time by your employer makes you a hater, go ahead and add me to that list.
